The De Fazio Wedding Bali

My little sister is married.

On Saturday, 3 September 2016, Jonti Roos and Nicholas De Fazio promised to be together forever, in front of 60 loved ones in Canggu, Bali. It was the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to and I cried so hard my false eyelashes came off. It was such an honour to stand next to my beloved and only sister as she and her wonderful partner made the most special commitment of their lives.

The venue was breathtaking and the decor looked like it fell straight from a Pinterest board into a jungle in Bali. The wedding was intimate and filled with love and joy. A special day I will treasure always. Have you ever watched a sibling get married? I could never have imagined how moving it would be.

Maid of Honour Speech

I wanted to share my speech with you, because it gives a little background to their love story and the relationship Jonti and I share.

Jonti and Nick. Thank you so much for choosing such a beautiful place to bring us all together, so we can witness you promising your forever to each other. The fact that there are so many people here today, who have travelled from so far, to celebrate this incredible promise, is a testament to how wonderful you both are.

First of all, I know you must all be wondering, mainly because more than one person has asked me this face-to-face, but no, I’m not jealous or sad that my little sister is getting married before me. Much like all of you, I thought, growing up, that this scenario would be a terrible thing to befall me. However, watching Jonti and Nick falling in love and growing from basically teenagers into young adults together has been incredibly special, and I could not be happier to see the two of them joining together today.

I’ve known Jonti for a long time. And I’ve had the privilege of having her as a joyous gift from my parents, an annoying little sister who wouldn’t take “but you’re younger than me” as a valid reason for me one-upping her (ever), someone whose wardrobe I could steal from, someone I could throw the tv remote at, an enemy and a best friend.

Growing up, Jonti never let being the youngest sister hold her back. In fact, she spent a couple of years telling me that she was, in fact, the older sister, because her birthday is in April and mine is in July.

She’s always been incredibly driven, and she would never be happy with offering anything but her absolute best. This lead to success in swimming, hockey, grades and popularity. Looking at Jonti, you’d think “she has every reason to coast along on her good looks” but she never got that memo.

I always knew Jonti was going to be a great wife because, when we were little girls, we used to play “apartment-apartment” in the corridor at home. If you’ve never played this game before, it’s nothing like living in a real apartment. Because you don’t ever have to pay any bills or knock on the wall to tell your neighbours to be quiet. Basically all it ever was, was one of us going round to the other’s “apartment”, knocking on the door, and inviting each out for a coffee.

Jonti, a tiny little scrawny thing, always used to say “let me just ask my boss”, which I was always confused about. But when she was a little older, that changed to “let me just ask my husband”. Nick, I hope that she defaults and refers to you as her boss, always.

When Jonti met Nick in Thailand, we all thought it was a sweet holiday romance. Of all the Australians in Thailand, Nick and his friends were the best ones, and I got to tag along for a couple of nights. From the very beginning, Nick was a true gentleman. When we got home, I asked Jonti “so are you guys together now?”. She reminded me that this wouldn’t be practical, because he in fact lived in Australia. That’s the kind of woman she is – she’s always had her act together.

But a couple of months later, Nick came to visit for Jonti’s birthday and they came to visit me in Cape Town and I got to spend some proper time with them. This was when I knew things were serious between them.

What followed was a series of international trips and romantic getaways, but of course you can’t know whether you should marry someone based purely on holidays. So Jonti made the move to Australia and we were equally heartbroken and overjoyed for her.

When Nick took us all out for dinner so he could ask my dad for permission to marry Jonti, we all knew it was going to happen. But that didn’t stop my dad from announcing to us all in the car that “Nick has asked me for Jonti’s hand in marriage”, promptly ruining the element of surprise for Jonti. I was obviously a wreck.

Nick. Of all the men on this green earth, I don’t think I could have picked a better match for Jonti. I’ve watched you two fight and I’ve watched you diffuse the tension like a pro. I’ve always loved you, but never more than when Jonti told the story about how you told her you wished she could go to your bachelor’s with you, cause it was going to be so much fun. Adorable.

You make a beautiful couple, and our family is so lucky to have you as our new member. Thank you for supporting Jonti and for always making us feel like a priority for the both of you. I know that your relationship is based on the most solid foundations, so I don’t think you guys need much marriage advice other than “always choose each other”.

I think that in this day and age, the decision to get married is an interesting one. Women aren’t required to get married in order to leave their parents homes, we aren’t required to get married in order to have a partnership in the eyes of the law. More people than ever are making the decision not to get married at all. The only reason to get married these days is love.

To promise to love each other, come what may. To treat each other with love every day. To act out of love in everything you do.

Jonti and Nick, you two love each other so much. And I know you always will. That’s why I know that the marriage that happened here today is based on the right thing.

The Suppliers

Venue: Villa The Sanctuary (Bali)

Wedding planner: Kevin from Silver Lace Weddings & Events (Bali)

Decorator: Sophie Khrisanza (Bali)

Food & Beverage: Lumbung Catering (Bali)

Makeup & Hair (bridesmaids): Yeanne & Team (Bali)

Makeup & Hair (bride): Natalie Roos (Cape Town)

Dress: Bonita Couture (Australia)

Shoes: Carvella by Kurt Geiger

Photographer: Du Wayne Denton (South Africa)

Videographer: Jaques Crafford (South Africa)

Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Forever New and custom made

Groomsmen’s Outfits: Zara

Groomsmen’s Shoes: Top Man